Exclusive Track Premiere: Ether Coven’s “This House Is a Tomb of Memories”
If you’re an upbeat optimist the way your MetalSucks co-founders are, then you believe life is basically one long tragedy with the occasional happy moment interspersed to make sure you really feel it when things inevitably once again become awful. Fort Lauderdale doom crew Ether Coven obviously share this worldview, ’cause their third full-length release is called Everything Is Temporary Except Suffering. It’s the kind of title that makes you wanna grab your lover’s hand and skip down the street whistling.
Of course, there’s some irony in the fact that Everything Is Temporary Except Suffering itself offers a brief respite from anguish. Press materials for the album assert that Ether Coven “marry the dissonant sounds of Neurosis and Swans, the sumptuous gloom of Type O Negative, and the riffing of their home state’s death metal heritage;” our own Vince Neilstein has said Suffering sounds “like The Ocean at their heaviest moments.” Regardless of how you describe its contents, Everything Is Temporary Except Suffering is inarguably a marvel of sublimation, transforming humanity’s ugliest emotions into something powerful and, frankly, quite rocking.
Needless to say, MetalSucks jumped at the chance to premiere “This House Is a Tomb of Memories,” Suffering‘s opening track. Says vocalist/guitarist Peter Kowalsky of the song:
“‘This House’ musically was mostly written in the back of the van with a baby amp and headphones. Devin [Estep, vocals/guitar] had some kind of quick recording apparatus and on a long drive I hashed out the main few riffs on the back bench, scrunched between the seats on the way to our show at The Breathing Room in Greencastle, PA at the end of 2018. Upon arrival we immediately loaded in, set up our amps and started hashing out harmonies and arrangements and this became the last song we wrote for the record. Lyrically, this is about a dream I had while on tour in Europe with my old band. I woke up convulsing and hysterically crying, which had never happened before and hasn’t since. This is what it’s like when everything falls apart I suppose. It’s a real spirit lifter.”
Have your spirits lifted by “This House Is a Tomb of Memories” below! Everything Is Temporary Except Suffering, which was recorded, mixed and produced by the mighty Erik Rutan, comes out tomorrow, Friday, January 10 on Century Media. Pre-order it here! Ether Coven will spend January and February touring with Barishi, with support on select dates coming from Wvrm, Zombie Apocalypse, and Outlier. Get dates at the bottom of this post, and buy tickets here!!!
Ether Coven Live
January 15 – Orlando, FL – Will’s Pub^
January 16 – Raleigh, NC – The Maywood
January 17 – Brooklyn, NY – Saint Vitus
January 18 – Trenton, NJ – The Championship
January 19 – Somerville, MA – Middle East
January 20 – Coplay, PA – The Building at Coplay
January 21 – Pittsburgh, PA – The Smiling Moose
January 22 – Detroit, MI – Sanctuary
January 23 – Cleveland, OH – The Foundary
January 24 – Chicago, IL – Reggies Music Joint
January 25 – Kansas City, MO – The Riot Room
January 26 – Denver, CO – Trailside Saloon
January 27 – Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Court
January 28 – Boise, ID – The Shredder
January 29 – Seattle, WA – Highline
January 30 – Portland, OR – Twilight
January 31 – Cupertino, CA – The X Bar
February 1 – Los Angeles, CA – Five Star Bar
February 2 – San Diego, CA – Brick By Brick
February 3 – Phoenix, AZ – The Rebel Lounge
February 4 – El Paso, X – Rockhouse Bar
February 5 – Austin, TX – 523 Thompson
February 6 – Denton, TX – J&Js
February 7 – Houston, TX – Acadia
February 8 – Little Rock, AR – Vino’s
February 9 – New Orleans, LA – Santos
February 10 – Louisville, KY – Highlands Taproom*
February 11 – Nashville, TN – That 70’s House
February 12 – Birmingham, AL – The Nick
February 13 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade
February 14 – Daytona, FL – Tir Na Nog
February 15 – Jacksonville, FL – Nighthawks
*Ether only
^w/Black Tusk
